Devotional 10 October 2025

Paul begins his letter by grounding everything that follows in divine calling: “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.” His authority is not self-chosen but bestowed by the sovereign will of God (cf. Galatians 1:15–16). Likewise, he reminds the Corinthians that they too are “called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). The same God who appointed Paul to proclaim the gospel has summoned them to live it out. Calling is not the privilege of a few leaders, it is the shared identity of every believer (2 Timothy 1:9).

Yet Paul immediately binds calling to community: “together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The church in Corinth was divided by personalities, class, and pride (1 Corinthians 1:10–13), but Paul opens by reminding them that sanctification in Christ unites them with every believer everywhere. Their holiness is not isolation from others, but fellowship in the same Lord. As Jesus prayed, “that they may all be one… so that the world may believe” (John 17:21).

This unity, however, depends upon separation, from sin, not from one another. To be “saints” means to be set apart (Leviticus 20:26; 1 Peter 2:9). The people of God are distinguished from the world precisely so that they may be joined together in Christ. The church cannot claim unity with the world’s values and still belong to Christ (2 Corinthians 6:14–18). True fellowship flows from shared obedience to one Lord (Ephesians 4:4–6).

Finally, Paul blesses them: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” These are not formal words but a summary of salvation itself: Grace, (God’s unearned favor) is the fountain; peace (the restored relationship with God and one another) is the result (Romans 5:1–2; Philippians 4:7). What God calls, He sanctifies; what He sanctifies, He unites; and what He unites, He fills with grace and peace.

From the very first lines, Paul teaches that identity and unity are gifts of divine calling. We belong to one another because we first belong to Christ. To live as the church means to live in Him, for Him, and with all who call upon His name: their Lord and ours.